Bitcoin rallied to nearly $64,800 on Wednesday after softer U.S. inflation data lowered expectations for another Federal Reserve interest rate hike. Ether and major altcoins also advanced. Separately, a solo miner using a low-cost Bitaxe machine earned 3.125 BTC by validating a Bitcoin block.
Cooling Inflation Lifts Bitcoin and Ether
Headline inflation fell to 3.5% in June from 4.2%, beating economists’ forecasts. Core inflation also eased to 2.6% from 2.9%, signaling broader price pressures are weakening. Traders quickly reduced the implied probability of a rate increase this month from 43% to 13%, while the two-year Treasury yield dropped six basis points.
Bitcoin gained 3.6% over 24 hours and 3.3% for the week, with trading volume reaching about $31 billion. Ether rose 5.3% to nearly $1,880 and gained 7.1% across seven sessions. HYPE added 6.4%, while XRP, Solana, Dogecoin, and BNB also moved higher.
Higher interest rates typically reduce demand for Bitcoin and other risk assets, as cash and Treasury bonds become more attractive. Cooler inflation reduces pressure on the Fed to raise rates, encouraging investors to move capital back into cryptocurrencies and equities.
Global Markets Follow Inflation Signal
Equity markets responded to the same inflation report. The MSCI Asia Pacific index rose 2.3%, its biggest monthly advance as technology stocks led gains. South Korea’s Kospi surged 8.2%, reclaiming its position as the best-performing major benchmark this year. SK Hynix jumped 13% in Seoul.
Brent crude rose 1% above $85 a barrel for a third consecutive session. President Trump threatened further strikes on Iran, while the United States resumed its blockade of Iranian shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. CoinEx chief analyst Jeff Ko noted that Bitcoin remains a rate-sensitive risk asset rather than a macroeconomic hedge. The report eased immediate pressure but did not confirm a lasting breakout.
Core inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, giving officials room to hold rates steady rather than a clear reason to cut. Ko identified the September Federal Open Market Committee meeting as the next major test. Dollar movements and sustained Bitcoin exchange-traded fund flows could also influence the market.
Solo Miner Secures Rare Bitcoin Block
A solo miner validated Bitcoin block 957382 on Friday using one low-cost Bitaxe machine. The miner received the standard 3.125 BTC subsidy, worth about $200,000. Blockchain data from mempool.space recorded the successful block. Public Pool later linked the result to a single Bitaxe rig through a post on X.
Bitaxe is a budget, low-power Bitcoin miner with an estimated hashrate near 1 terahash per second. That capacity is extremely small compared with the total Bitcoin network hashrate, which is dominated by large industrial operations. Bitcoin mining depends on probability rather than equipment size alone, so any valid attempt can still solve a block, though the chance is tiny.
The miner did not receive a special reward; every successful solo miner qualifies for the standard block subsidy after producing a valid block. The result shows that hobby-scale equipment can still occasionally secure a full subsidy, despite the network’s increasingly competitive mining environment.
What’s Next?
Bitcoin climbed near $64,800 as cooling U.S. inflation reduced expectations for another Federal Reserve rate increase. Ether and global equities also advanced, while a solo Bitaxe miner secured 3.125 BTC. Traders should now watch interest-rate signals, ETF flows, and broader market momentum.